Skarloey
* Granpuff |last_appearance = New Little Engine |creator(s) = Rev. W. Awdry |uk/us_voice_actor = Keith Wickham |name = Skarloey |nicknames = * Old Faithful * Skarloey the Famous Old Engine * The Little Old Engine * Crosspatch * Bucking Bronco * Stick in the Mud * Skarloey the Strong Engine |gender = Male |country_of_origin = Island of Sodor |relative(s) = Talyllyn, Rheneas and Dolgoch |affiliation = * Skarloey Railway * North Western Railway |basis = [[Talyllyn|TR No. 1 "Talyllyn"]] |gauge = |power_type = Steam |vehicle = Locomotive |type = Saddle tank engine |fuel_type = Coal |configuration = 0-4-2ST, originally 0-4-0ST |wheels = 6, originally 4 |designer(s) = Henry A. Fletcher |builder(s) = Fletcher, Jennings & Co. |year_built = 1864 |arrived_on_sodor = May 1865 |number = SR 1 |railway = Skarloey Railway |owner(s) = * The Owner * Sir Topham Hatt * Mr. Percival }} Skarloey, a narrow gauge saddletank engine, is the oldest engine on the Skarloey Railway. Talyllyn, from the Talyllyn Railway, is his twin, and Rheneas is his brother. Biography The Railway Series Skarloey was built at Fletcher, Jennings & Co., Whitehaven in 1864 as a 0-4-0ST with no cab, which later caused him to bounce a lot, alongside his twin, Talyllyn. He was the first engine to arrive on the newly developed Skarloey Railway in May 1865, arriving by steam ship at Kirk Ronan Harbour, before being delivered to Crovan's Gate by Neil. His young antics proved bothersome but he soon matured when he received his cab and trailing wheels. He received these when he returned to Whitehaven in 1867, where he was briefly reunited with Talyllyn. The trailing wheels improved his running greatly, and this together with the cab made him a favourite with the men in spite of his shy steaming. In consequence Skarloey was always worked harder than Rheneas, and in 1897 he returned to Whitehaven a second, and final, time for heavy repairs. No further overhauls were done to him apart from general maintenance in the SR workshop; the result being that by 1945 his boiler and firebox were in such a poor state that he could only be steamed in dire emergency. On one such occasion in 1952, he damaged his springs whilst bringing home Sir Handel's train, resulting in him receiving a much-needed overhaul. He was sent to Gibbons Bros. Ltd. in England for this, where he met his twin Talyllyn, who was there for the same purpose, for the first time in some 60 years. He returned almost as new in 1958, but was still somewhat shy in steaming. After many experiments, however, Mr. Ivo Hugh finally cured this fault by fitting a brick arch in his firebox and a "Kylchap" cowl on his blast pipe. This work was done in the SR's workshop with no outside help at all. Since returning to service, he has been very much a voice of reason on the Skarloey Railway: he was responsible for Sir Handel's comeuppance when the latter became boastful about his new wheels, and changed Duncan's views about passengers by telling him about the time when Rheneas saved the Railway. At the celebrations for his and Rheneas' 100th birthday, he collected the Duke of Sodor (much to Peter Sam's confusion) and took him around the new loop line. He underwent another heavy overhaul at Crovan's Gate Works in 1985, returning to service in May of that year. He later attended Ivo Hugh's naming ceremony, and brought along a special train with important guests. However, he had to stop when a sow and her piglets strayed onto the line. His passengers had to come out to catch the pigs and return them to their field, and Skarloey was late but arrived in time for the naming ceremony. Thomas & Friends When Skarloey first appeared in the fourth season, he brought people to the closed Mid Sodor Railway to buy the engines, taking Stuart and Falcon but leaving Duke behind. When a group of visitors planned on following the old line into the mountains to find Duke, they used Skarloey. He carried them into the mountains, searching for Duke for several days. Once Duke was found, Skarloey and Rheneas transported him back down to the Skarloey Railway for restoration. Edward found Skarloey sitting in the shed where he had been sent for a rest. Skarloey told Edward about Rheneas going away to be mended and that he wishes he could be mended too and pull coaches again. He received his chance when the coaches derailed Sir Handel, at which point he volunteered to pull the visitors' train in Sir Handel's stead. He scolded the coaches and set off, trying his best as he approached the hill. Downhill, one of his weak springs gave out and left Skarloey crooked. Determined to not let his passengers down, Skarloey limped to the station and got the passengers home. The driver promised to have him mended, saying that Skarloey deserves it. When Skarloey came home, Rusty helped him to the sheds, where the fireman lit Skarloey's fire. He declared his excitement to be like that of a young engine. From the seventh to twelfth seasons, Skarloey has acted like a childish engine and has tried to prove his bravery by getting hauled up the winch on the incline and by having a race with Rheneas and Freddie. He has also acted timid, being scared of an old wooden bridge, the Wharf and storms. From Blue Mountain Mystery onwards, Skarloey regained his original personality and became the respected leader of the narrow gauge engines at the Blue Mountain Quarry. In the eighteenth season, he once had to take an evening passenger train, but Duncan took his coaches so that a grumpy passenger would not complain about the train being crowded, but this only resulted in angering Skarloey and his stranded passengers. The next day, Skarloey was delayed by Duncan again when he refused to leave the platform until the same grumpy passenger had boarded his train. Later during the Christmas holidays, Skarloey was upset by Duncan's constant grumbling, so he, Rheneas and Rusty told the Thin Controller, who devised a plan to stop the grumpy engine from moaning all the time. Personality Skarloey is the sage of the Skarloey Railway and is an old, faithful little engine. Although once full of enthusiasm and his own ideas in his youth, Skarloey is now one of the oldest engines on the Island. He is a calm-natured, quaint, and mature engine and may often try to guide or watch over less experienced narrow gauge engines in his firm but fair and friendly manner. He acts kindly to engines and passengers alike and always enjoys a gentle, smooth journey through the woods by the lakeside and stopping at all the gates and stiles he remembers so well, but that doesn't mean he isn't reckless. Technical Details Basis Skarloey is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Talyllyn, a Fletcher Jennings Class C 0-4-2ST built in 1864. In the Railway Series, Talyllyn is Skarloey's twin. Rusty's Ghost Engine shares the same basis. Livery In the Railway Series, Skarloey is painted in the Skarloey Railway's standard red livery with blue and yellow lining and with his name painted in yellow on the sides of his saddletank, and a brass dome. In the television series, Skarloey was originally painted red with white lining. From Season 9 onwards, he is painted crimson red with white and gold lining. He has red and gold name and number plates on the sides of his saddletank and coal bunkers respectively. Appearances Railway Series= |-|Television Series= |-|Other Media= Voice Actors * Keith Wickham (UK/US; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards) * Tomohisa Asō (Japan; fourth - seventh seasons) * Hideyuki Umezu (Japan; ninth season onwards, excluding The Great Race) * Hiroaki Tajiri (Japan; The Great Race only) * Jens Wendland (Germany) * Jacek Król (Poland) * Gilan Shachaf (Israel; King of the Railway) * Simen Sand (Norway; Blue Mountain Mystery only) * Sigbjørn Solheim (Norway; sixteenth - seventeenth season) * Bruno Marçal (Brazil) * Marcos Patiño (Latin America; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards) * Jorge Teixeira (Spain) * Alexander Kotov (Russia; sixteenth season only) * Denis Bespalyy (Russia; seventeenth season - Duncan the Humbug) * Jukka Voutilaninen (Finland; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards) * Loukas Frangoulis (Greece) Trivia * Skarloey was built at Fletcher, Jennings & Co. at Whitehaven, the same place as Rheneas, Captain Baxter, Talyllyn and Dolgoch. * His name is Sudric for "Lake in the Woods". * Skarloey's name on the Japanese Thomas website is backwards. * In the Polish narration, Skarloey's name is Sławek, which is coincidentally Stephen's name in the same narration. * Skarloey's large scale model was used as Rusty's Ghost Engine in Duncan Gets Spooked. * Keith Wickham gives Skarloey a Welsh accent; reflecting his basis' origins. * The Rev. W. Awdry's model of Skarloey is currently on display at the Narrow Gauge Museum in Tywyn. * Nitrogen Studios went to the Talyllyn Railway and took measurements of Skarloey's basis, Talyllyn, so that his CGI model would resemble Talyllyn as closely as possible. This was also done with Rheneas, Sir Handel, Peter Sam, and Rusty. * Skarloey's wooden railway toy was among the toys that were part of the lead paint crisis in 2005. * Though mentioned as Rheneas' brother in the Railway Series, the two have never been referred to as brothers in the television series. * Skarloey has gone through many modifications through the television series. These include: ** Season 5: *** Cab handrails disappeared (large scale model only). *** His buffers changed from grey to silver (large scale model only). *** His whistle sound changed pitch. ** Season 6: *** The brass ring around his funnel and his buffers were painted black. *** His model is significantly less weathered. ** Season 9: *** A tail lamp was added. *** His whistle sound went back to its original pitch. *** His livery became a dark crimson colour. ** Season 12: *** His pupils became bigger. ** Blue Mountain Mystery: *** His pupils became smaller. *** Accurate bufferbeam to his basis. *** His boiler is painted black instead of red. *** Handrails across the top of his smokebox and saddle tank like his basis. *** His cab handrails returned, but now gold instead of red. *** His cutout windows gained brass frames and contained glass. *** Sanding gear. *** Black siderod guards. *** Extra lining on his cab. *** Differently designed front sandboxes. *** Footsteps underneath his cab. *** He gained a new whistle sound. *** A number plate on the back of his cab, similar to Talyllyn. Quotes Merchandise * ERTL (metallic and regular; discontinued) * Wooden Railway (reintroduced; Mud Covered (discontinued) and Normal) * Take Along (discontinued) * Take-n-Play (discontinued) * Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued) * Mini Die Cast Collection (discontinued) * Departing Now (discontinued) * Trading Cards (discontinued) * Bachmann * Motor Road and Rail (discontinued) * TrackMaster (normal, Push Me, Pull You and Skarloey Storms Through; all discontinued) * My Thomas Story Library (discontinued) * Brio (discontinued) * Trading Cards (discontinued) * Nakayoshi (discontinued) * Capsule Plarail (regular and metallic) * Pocket Fantasy (discontinued) * Departing Now * Minis ** Classic Minis ** Chillin' Minis ** DC Super Friends Minis (as Arsenal) ** Sweets Minis ** SpongeBob SquarePants Minis (as Mr. Krabs) * Waku Waku Sources de:Skarloey es:Skarloey he:סקארלווי hu:Skarloey ja:スカーロイ pl:Sławek zh:史卡洛 Category:Steam locomotives Category:0-4-2 Category:Skarloey Railway Category:Tank engines Category:0-4-0 Category:Thomas & Friends characters Category:The Railway Series characters Category:Awdry-created characters Category:Male characters Category:Narrow gauge